Iraqi legislators finished their session Thursday without agreeing on an election law needed to carry out the country's January vote. The election law has been stalled for weeks as lawmakers argue over how to apportion votes in the city of Kirkuk, a city claimed by both Arabs and Kurds.

Parliament deputies met again Thursday to discuss the election legislation but ended the session without a deal. "The Parliament session ended for today and will be held on Saturday to give more chance for discussions," Shiite lawmaker Ridha Jwad Taqi told The Associated Press.

The head of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission, Faraj al-Haidari, earlier this week warned lawmakers that if they did not reach a deal by the end of the day Thursday, it would be impossible to carry out the election on January 16. On Thursday, al-Haidari reiterated his stance. "Today is the deadline," al-Haidari said.